


lord adorable

by antarcticas



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Ember Island (Avatar), F/M, Fire Lord Zuko, Fluff, Hair Braiding, Humor, Long hair Zuko, Post-100 Year War (Avatar TV), Short Hair Katara, Zutara Fanwork Appreciation Week 2020, day 3: fanart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:13:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27708848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antarcticas/pseuds/antarcticas
Summary: Essentially: Zuko has hair-loopies. He is not okay with this.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 163





	lord adorable

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pineapple_Frenzy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineapple_Frenzy/gifts).



> Based off fanart from the lovely Pineapple-Frenzy, an absolute gift to our fandom! Find it [ here!](https://pineapple-frenzy.tumblr.com/post/629887418999390208/zutara-braids-i-couldnt-decide-whether-i-wanted)
> 
> I just. Love long hair Zuko and short hair Katara so much. This was necessary to write. It's pure fluff and stupidity. Enjoy!

"Katara— don't you  _ dare—" _

"It's Katara," Toph calls from the corner, raucously laughing. "Of course she dares."

"You can't even tell what she's doing," Zuko sticks his tongue out at her in a way that's all too juvenile; Toph is almost like a sister to him now, though, so it just feels right. 

"I know what a braid is, Sparky. Not your fault you hair is long—"

"Your hair is perfect for this," Katara grins at him, kissing him on the forehead before grabbing the comb she'd gone to get and settling down behind him on the ground, running her fingers through his pin-straight hair, falling down past his shoulders. Zuko wants to groan, because of course she'd cut hers off in the days after the war, and he'd grown his out, and of  _ course  _ he's in this situation. 

This is Fire Lord Zuko, his crown placed haphazardly on the ground next to him; a beautiful waterbender is attempting to  _ braid his hair.  _

If he didn't love Katara, he wouldn't tolerate anything like this. 

"Katara," he starts as she puts her comb at work, using her fingers to take out the small knots his hair had collected while up in his crown. Usually, it's much more neat, and he has servants who help him do it— but the Gaang's trip to Ember Island is only for a few days a years, and he couldn't insist on bringing  _ servants  _ along for it. Katara doesn't like them much anyway, and she's quite vocal about that. "I'm going to declare war on the Southern Water Tribe."

"Try harder."

"I'll bring down Ba Sing Se?"

"Nope," she pops, one of her fingers snaking around his neck and teasingly pinching him. He jolts and then leans further into her touch, despite himself. Her hands move to his scalp, and she presses on it in all the right places. His crown can weigh heavy sometimes, and it's bright, glaring gold. It's heavy with the weight of expectations and the weight of nations, and it's absolutely incredible that he can remove all of those here, once a year, with his friends—

With Katara.

With Katara, who he loves, even though she loves to embarrass him like  _ this.  _

"I'll—"

"Even if you’d said something remotely plausible, we all know you're too soft-hearted to do it," Toph says, and Zuko glares in her direction. Katara makes a calming sound at him, as though he's a turtleduck she's attempting to placate, and it works all too well. 

"Accept it, Zuko," Katara sing-songs, and Zuko wonders how he got stuck with these two around instead of one of the sane ones— like Suki, or Aang— even Sokka would have been better than this. "You're going to be adorable."

"Just get it over with," he presses his hands up to his temple. Katara giggles and separates his hair into three sections, tugging at the sides of his head to keep them straight. He can't help but moan as her cold fingers brush his neck, and that makes Toph get up and smirk.

"I'm done with you two. Have your fun. Be safe. I don't want little steambabies running around."

"Little  _ what?"  _ Zuko gapes. Toph is gone before he can question what exactly she'd said, and Katara giggles behind him. "What's a steam-baby?"

"A child of a firebender and a waterbender. Think, Zuko, c'mon. Steam."

"Oh," he blushes and stays silent as Katara hums and finishes his hair. He hasn't even thought about when he's going to propose to her yet— he has a necklace, of course, and he's ready, but he doesn't . . . know. It seems like this should be an awkward topic, but Katara doesn't mind it. "Are you done?"

He wants this humiliation to be over. "Nopes."

The end of his braid falls over his shoulder, and his face burns. His blush has always been more evident than Katara's. "Oh, Agni. What next?"

"Don't act like I'm torturing you, Zuko." 

Something rustles, and then the sides of his braid get tugged at— he can only really feel one half, because of the scar. "Oh,  _ what  _ are you doing—"

A section of his hair falls in front of his face, and Katara's cold fingers dance along the side of his face. "Look! You've got hair loopies!"

And indeed he does— the sides of his hair are drawn back, and he can see little blue beads in his peripheral vision. Katara turns around to face him, smiling, and he keeps a grumpy grin on his face. He's sure he looks ridiculous— he's the  _ Fire Lord,  _ and he has a  _ braid,  _ and  _ hair loopies—  _ but the way she's smiling at him is bright and infectious, and it makes him loosen up. Katara frowns at him before reaching out to poke at his cheek, and he lets his expression turn into something almost like a smile. 

"Be happy, Fire Lord Zuko," she cradles his face in her hands, and the sheer love in her eyes has him break out into something positive, teeth shining. "Say thank you."

"Thank you, Katara." He repeats a phrase they're both prone to repeat— a remembrance of the moment they'd started falling in love, back at that final Agni Kai. 

"You're welcome, Lord Adorable."

"Don't call me that."

"Aw," Katara smushes his cheeks together, pressing his loopies to his face and making it impossible for him to talk. "But you're just so cute!"

"Kat-ar-tara—"

Zuko struggles to get out words as she clutches his face and leans in to press kisses across it, across his nose and his good cheek and his bad one. After a moment of showering him with affection she leans back and lets him go, watching in delight as he tries to breathe.

"Evil woman."

"You love me," she teases, and he frowns, but he can't deny that.

"Fine. I love you. I can't believe I let you do this to me."

"Yes you can," Katara leans in and kisses him squarely on the lips, grabbing his braid to pull him up to her level, and he sighs into her mouth. 

"Fine," Zuko admits. "Yes, I can."

  
  



End file.
